“Juul Labs Inc. has the Mafia to thank for the most potent legal claims accusing the e-cigarette maker of igniting an epidemic of youth nicotine addiction. The company will try to persuade a federal judge Monday that consumers and school districts can’t sue it under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, which has been called “the litigation equivalent of a thermonuclear device.” The 1970 law was originally designed to prosecute organized crime but has also been used in civil lawsuits, including against tobacco companies. If Juul fails to get the RICO claims knocked out of the lawsuits at the earliest opportunity, it faces the prospect of being on the hook for triple damages and the plaintiffs’ attorneys fees, which is likely to put a lot more pressure on the company to settle. Juul, its founders and Altria Group Inc., which owns a 35% stake in Juul, face hundreds of suits that have been consolidated in federal court in San Francisco and in California state court in Los Angeles.”

ARTICLE LINK:

Juul’s Defense of Marketing E-Cigarettes to Youth Targets Use of Organized Crime Law

“Australians will be allowed to buy e-cigarettes at chemists with a prescription from their doctor under new plans revealed today. They would still be unavailable for purchase in regular shops. The interim decision by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), which could be finalised later this year, would make it legal to buy and use vapes. The move by the TGA was confirmed by The Australian, which reported that e-cigarettes would be treated as ‘prescription-only medicine’, as opposed to being considered a ‘dangerous poison’ as they are now.”

NOTE: For those in North America; “Chemists” refers to “Pharmacists” and “Pharmacies”

Australians will be able to buy e-cigarettes at pharmacies with a prescription from their doctor under new plans

“Sky News host Alan Jones says the idea vaping could become illegal without a prescription under the grounds it may be defined as a drug of abuse is an appalling justification on the government’s part. The Therapeutic Goods Administration on Wednesday will hand down a draft of guidelines in relation to vaping nicotine liquid, it is expected the federal Coalition will classify vaping as a drug of abuse. This would mean vaping nicotine liquid will be illegal without a prescription and those who are found in possession without a prescription would be prosecuted.”

“No federal or state legislation governing e-cigarette end-of-life disposal currently exists, although some attempts are underway. Recycling and safety advocates say now is the time for action, before the devices’ popularity further expands with negative repercussions. Generally, e-cigarettes are operated by the user pushing a button that heats a liquid-containing plastic cartridge. The devices are not considered a safety hazard under normal conditions, but they do pose a danger when operated in ways not intended by manufacturers or disposed of improperly. “If you put a whole vape pen in a [collection] box and the button gets pressed, or it gets compressed just right or its battery is punctured, I think certainly the potential is there for a fire,” said Tony Smith, vice president of safety at the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI). Li-ion batteries still hold a charge even when they appear to no longer be useful, and small charges can cause a thermal event.”

ARTICLE LINK:

Calls for e-cigarette legislation increase amid growing fire hazard to waste and recycling industry

“Three recent studies demonstrate the improved health effects that come from the use of e-cigarettes, when such vaping products are used on a permanent basis and the use of all tobacco products is halted. The arguments used to promote the use of e-cigarettes and other vaping products is with a reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease or cancer, and as a strategy to decrease the addiction to conventional cigarettes.”

ARTICLE LINK:

Studies show e-cigarettes reduce smoking related illnesses

This isn’t an official DP Show but we thought we’d go live tomorrow at a special time and see what’s up in Greece.
We’ll here about the vape scene in Greece, take a look at Dimitris’ new shop, and hear about his promotion to convert more smokers.
So come hang out with us tomorrow for a bit as we go live at 3PM EST!
You can click the banner below to be taken directly to the show!

“The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Advocates (CAPHRA) believes Australia is increasingly out of step with forward thinking nations, rapidly becoming the “odd one out” in the Asia Pacific region when it comes to tobacco harm reduction and vaping. “Ignoring all evidence, the Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt’s determination to ban the importation of all e-cigarette products containing nicotine from 1 January next year is a big backward step which will sadly lead to more Australians smoking,” Nancy Loucas says. CAPHRA says there are rumblings that the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration will make an announcement in the next month or so for the full medicalisation of nicotine and vaping for smoking cessation. Ms Loucas says that if the rumblings are correct, Australia will create a huge black market for nicotine and vaping liquids, which opens up the possibilities of creating harm rather than reducing it.”

ARTICLE LINK:

Backwards Australia

“For people who believe that nicotine is the problem because it’s addictive and therefore will cause smoking, there is bad news. It does not not cause smoking, any more than a glass of wine creates blended whiskey drinkers. For those of us who care about public health, the news is good. Former smokers dismissed both Stanton Glantz and his Johnson  & Johnson funding – they make nicotine patches that compete with vaping – as a little too convenient, and data since has shown his claims were unfounded. Vaping is twice as successful as patches and gums (which have only slightly more success than hypnosis), so such smoking cessation and harm reduction, coupled with continued awareness of the dangers of what remains the world’s largest lifestyle mortality cause, will mean more people are living healthier for longer.”

ARTICLE LINK:

Smokers Use E-Cigarettes To Quit

“A industry consultation on how to approach regulating flavoured vaping products in Saskatchewan is underway. The consultation calls for stakeholder input on such options as restricting flavoured vapour product sale to adult-only specialty shops and online or in pharmacies, prohibiting flavoured products with high levels of nicotine or restricting flavoured products to only those currently available in nicotine replacement therapy. A Saskatchewan health advocacy group, meanwhile, is hoping Saskatchewan follows the precedent some other provinces have set in banning flavoured vaping products altogether. They plan to send statements on their position to the Ministry of Health later this week to coincide with the closing of the consultation.”

ARTICLE LINK:

Provincial consultation on flavoured vaping products underway in Saskatchewan

Here’s the latest from Brent Stafford at Regulator Watch:

Dr. Stanton Glantz retires, but his pernicious influence lives on through his personally trained disciples and dark legacy of fraudulent research. Hear more in these key clips from our interview with Guy Bentley, Dir. of Consumer Freedom, Reason Foundation
RegClips by RegulatorWatch.com

SUPPORTED BY: VAPE NATION

JACOB GRIER ARTICLE ON SECONDHAND SMOKE:

WE USED TERRIBLE SCIENCE TO JUSTIFY SMOKING BANS

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